It remains my honor and joy to welcome you to this issue of Connect! as we begin our second academic year as the new College of Education and Human Development. Once again our campus is awhirl with conversations and activities as our 6,300-plus students, our faculty, and our staff re-engage and start anew. Our faculty and staff assembly, our first Student Block Party, and our ribbon-cutting ceremony with President Bruininks for our new Education Sciences Building were gatherings that will long be remembered.

Earlier this month I delivered my first State of the College Address to a gathering of faculty, staff, students, University administrators, members of our College Advisory Council, and several regents. I reflected upon just a few of our many accomplishments and forecasted the work that lay ahead of us. I spoke of our need to be our most creative selves, to be “bridge people”—a phrase created by Minnesotan leadership consultant Barbara Shipka—living the “link between what has been and what is becoming.” To do so, I urged us to think and act together, not simply outside of, but without “the box.” To most fully live up to our vision and into our mission as a world leader, creating a sustainable model of multidisciplinary and multicultural excellence with impact, requires the dynamic interplay among all that we do in our research, teaching and learning, and community engagement.

Research at all levels informs and supports the college’s vision to serve as a model for engagement. As this issue makes clear, the power of discovery is not just the provenance of our faculty members; it is an integral part of the undergraduate and graduate student experience. Student research, particularly at the undergraduate level, is also a key step toward the University’s goal of becoming a top three public research institution. Our students benefit from the resources of a Research I university and our faculty members’ dedication to incorporating a positive and meaningful research experience into learning.

These stories will greatly expand your awareness and deepen your appreciation for some of the most significant and timely research conducted in academia today. So, enjoy!

Darlyne Bailey, dean and assistant to the president
Campbell Leadership Chair in Education and Human Development

PHOTO: Patrick O’Leary